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Box Shadow Generator

Generate CSS box-shadow values with a live preview.

Generate CSS box-shadow values with a live preview.

Quick start: Drag the horizontal and vertical offset sliders to position the shadow, then set blur and spread. → Choose a shadow color and lower its opacity for a softer, more natural look. → Toggle the inset checkbox to draw the shadow inside the element for pressed or recessed effects.

How to use Box Shadow Generator

  1. 1

    Drag the horizontal and vertical offset sliders to position the shadow, then set blur and spread.

  2. 2

    Choose a shadow color and lower its opacity for a softer, more natural look.

  3. 3

    Toggle the inset checkbox to draw the shadow inside the element for pressed or recessed effects.

  4. 4

    Click 'Add Shadow' to stack extra layers, each with its own offset, blur, spread, color, and opacity.

  5. 5

    Check the live preview card, then click 'Copy CSS' to grab the full box-shadow declaration.

Real examples of Box Shadow Generator in action

Subtle card lift
Before
X 0, Y 4, blur 12, spread 0, black 15%
After
box-shadow: 0 4px 12px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15);
Inset pressed field
Before
Enable inset, X 0, Y 2, blur 4, black 20%
After
box-shadow: inset 0 2px 4px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2);
Stacked elevation
Before
Two layers, growing blur, falling opacity
After
box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0,0,0,0.12), 0 8px 24px rgba(0,0,0,0.16);
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Who is Box Shadow Generator for?

Frontend developers building elevation systems for cards, modals, and menus

Design system maintainers defining and exporting consistent shadow tokens

UI designers prototyping hover and pressed states without a graphics editor

Beginners learning the order and meaning of the box-shadow parameters

Why use Box Shadow Generator?

  • Exposes spread radius, the parameter most hand-written shadows ignore, with a clear slider.
  • Stacks unlimited layers into one comma-separated box-shadow value for realistic multi-shadow depth.
  • Per-layer inset toggle lets you mix outer and inner shadows in a single declaration.
  • Live preview re-renders on every drag, so you tune the look before pasting any code.
  • Outputs clean CSS with no vendor prefixes, runs offline, and requires no account.

Common use cases

  • Define consistent Material-style elevation tiers for cards in a dashboard and export each as a token.
  • Create a subtle hover shadow that signals a button is interactive without overwhelming the layout.
  • Build an inset shadow that gives text inputs a slightly etched, recessed appearance.
  • Layer a soft ambient shadow and a tighter contact shadow to make a floating panel look grounded.

How Box Shadow Generator compares to alternatives

Honest comparison to other popular options — pick the right tool for the job.

ToolMain limitation
RapidTables / generic CSS shadow pagesOften single-layer only and surrounded by ads, with no live preview of stacked shadows
Figma / desktop design appsGreat for visuals but their shadow effects do not export directly as CSS box-shadow code
Tailwind shadow utilitiesQuick presets only; fine-grained custom offset, blur, and spread still need hand-written CSS
Box Shadow GeneratorFree, runs in your browser, no sign-up, no watermarks, no file-size limits beyond your device memory.

Limitations & things to know

  • Very large blur or spread values across many layers can hurt scroll and paint performance on low-end devices
  • The preview uses a single sample card, so the effect on your real, differently sized element may vary

About Box Shadow Generator

A box shadow generator is a visual tool that builds the CSS box-shadow property so you can design depth and elevation without memorizing the syntax. The box-shadow value takes, in order, an optional inset keyword, a horizontal offset, a vertical offset, an optional blur radius, an optional spread radius, and a color, for example 0 4px 12px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15). Xevon Tools' Box Shadow Generator exposes each of those as a slider plus a color and opacity control, with a live preview card that re-renders as you drag. The offsets move the shadow right and down (negative values move it left and up), blur softens the edge, and spread grows or shrinks the shadow before the blur is applied, which is the parameter most people forget exists. Toggling inset draws the shadow inside the element instead of behind it, the trick behind pressed buttons and recessed input fields. You can stack as many layers as you like; the tool joins them into one comma-separated declaration, and layers are painted with the first listed shadow on top. The most realistic elevation effects come from two or three stacked shadows with growing blur and falling opacity, mimicking how a soft ambient shadow and a tighter contact shadow appear together in real light. One subtlety to remember: box-shadow does not affect layout or take up space, and unlike outline it follows the element's border-radius. Output is standards-compliant CSS that needs no vendor prefixes in any current browser, and the whole tool runs client-side.

Frequently asked questions

Spread expands (positive) or contracts (negative) the shadow's size before the blur is applied. A positive spread makes the shadow extend further than the element; a negative spread is useful for keeping a soft shadow tucked under one edge.
Stack two or three layers with increasing blur and decreasing opacity rather than one heavy shadow. This imitates a soft ambient shadow plus a sharper contact shadow, which reads as natural depth.
An outer shadow is cast behind the element; an inset shadow is drawn inside its edges. Inset is what creates pressed-button and recessed-field effects, and you can combine both inset and outer layers in one declaration.
No. Unlike border or padding, box-shadow is painted outside the box model and does not take up space or push neighboring elements. It does, however, follow the element's border-radius.

Your files never leave your device

Every tool on Xevon Tools runs 100% in your browser. No uploads, no servers, no tracking. Free forever.

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Embed Box Shadow Generator on your site

Add this tool to your own website, blog, or internal tool page with one line of code. Free to use, no attribution required (but appreciated).

<iframe src="https://www.xevontools.com/embed/box-shadow-generator" width="100%" height="640" style="border:1px solid #e2e8f0;border-radius:12px;" title="Box Shadow Generator — Xevon Tools"></iframe>
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